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The USS Milwaukee is a 400-foot, water-jet-propelled ship designed to be versatile, including operating close to shore.

It can carry a helicopter and smaller boats, and has a ramp that can be used to launch a remote-operated, unmanned mine-hunting vehicle.

“Completely unmanned and operated by controllers on the ship, it can go in and search for those mines, and if we find any, we can neutralize them as well,” U.S. Navy Ensign William Foster said.

It's one of several so-called mission packages the ship can be adapted to, including humanitarian aid and an anti-submarine warfare package with sonar that can also be used for underwater searches.

“Really, the sky's the limit of what this ship can do,” U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kendall Bridgewater said.

Its captain said the ship's flexibility in its so-called reconfigurable space may be its strongest asset.

“I mean this could be all reverse-osmosis units off a coast of a nation that's just suffered a tsunami or a major natural disaster and make fresh water for them. We could put in surgical units. We could do you name it, and so, the utility of this ship is vast,” Bridgewater said.

The USS Milwaukee, which also can be altered to add berths for more sailors, is a high-tech war ship, and it has the latest in computers and electronics on board, but it's also highly adaptable to keep it vital for its 30-year expected service life.

The computer systems in the mission control center and even the bridge can be easily swapped out as the technology evolves or even as the mission changes.

It's a ship symbolic of the modern Navy and a distinct honor for the city.

“We're very excited to bring the name Milwaukee back to the United States Navy,” Bridgewater said.

The littoral combat ship will be commissioned in 10 days in Milwaukee.